


We didn't plan for this

by ManiacProductions



Series: Starting again; the new life of Anna-Marie Stark-Banner [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), X-Men (Movies)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Baby!Rogue, Charles is Alive, F/M, Jean is Alive, M/M, Mission Gone Wrong, Not Canon Compliant, Rescue Missions, Scott is alive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-04-07 23:01:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4281252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManiacProductions/pseuds/ManiacProductions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The X-Men planned for a lot of things, there was very little that could catch the mutant team off guard.</p><p>Poisons? Hank had a cure for most anything.</p><p>Power control issues? Xavier had a specific plan for each of this students and teachers.</p><p>One of their own turning into a baby? . . . They didn't have a plan for that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A tiny addition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've re-written this chapter to add more detail and to fix up any mistakes I've found. If you see anything wrong, please tell me!

  
_**Time: 1:40 AM**_  
 _ **General Location:**_ Westchester, New York  
 _ **Exact Location**_ : Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters  
-

  
"Make _**it**_ stop!"

The tearful wailing doesn't stop when Logan yells echo throughout the bedroom, instead only getting louder and becoming more painful to his sensitive ears. On the other side of the bedroom, Ororo flinches at the ear-piercing shrieks and sends him a dark glare that promises punishment at a later time. He almost swears out loud when he notices the tiny lightning sparks that starts dancing in her eyes and the way the tips of her silver hairs begin to dance and rise. _She's probably going to kill me later_ , he cringes to himself and silently promises to make it up to her later. However he knows that time will be far into the future and when they had time to themselves with no toddler around.

 _Speaking of which_ , Logan turns to glance at the tiny pale child in the white haired woman's slender arms. The tiny toddler in her arms is still sobbing into her shoulder, pitifully slamming her small fists down against Ororo's chest. Occasionally the clenched hands would release and she would begin slapping the whether witch's arms and shoulder or sometimes they would latch onto the long silver hair and harshly tug on it. At the current moment, the toddler is slapping her delicate hands down on the woman's neck and trying to tug on her ears. 

He isn't sure how much longer he'll be able to put up with the screaming and crying, this has happened every single night this week. Every night, in the middle of the night, the toddler would wake up and all she would do is scream and cry for hours and hours on end. He would admit though that for such a tiny baby, she sure had a set of powerful lungs on her. Logan quietly jokes that it would make sense for the child to have such a loud voice, after all this precious little bundle in Ororo's arms once was and would one day grow up to become The Rogue, the once scared teenager who had grown into a strong and vocal young woman.

"Her, Logan, _her_." Ororo snaps at him, her once patient attitude gone and now replaced by a snappish and aggressive one. _Danger zone_ , Logan knows that if he doesn't stop this argument now, it would later turn into a full blown fight which would just end with in another painful headache for him to deal with. He opens his mouth to try and correct what he meant when Rogue let out another loud and painful to hear scream, her tiny little face flushed from her constant cry.

"Jesus 'Ro, I meant the crying, the crying!" He growls over another piercing wail from the little brunette, glancing down at the face filled with running snot and rolling tears that dripped down to Ororo's nightshirt. Logan then begins silently pacing his and Ororo's shared bedroom, well their's and Rogue's makeshift bedroom, trying not to scream in frustration. On the other side of the room, the little toddler is slowly bounced up and down as Ororo quietly pleads with the little girl to just go to sleep and stay asleep for the rest of the night. The weather witch tries soothing and calm words, gentle warm hugs, and at one point she even tries to get Rogue to calm down with bribery; however each plea and beg is just met with another angry scream. 

"Well maybe it would help if you stopped yelling!" She snaps right back at him with a fierce glare, only stopping to try and shush the little girl in her again. Another wail is Rogue's only response and Ororo pitifully, and almost tearfully, sighs back at the child and he knows that neither of them can take much more of this. Every night she's like this and Logan and Ororo, despite their best attempts, can't cut it as Rogue's parents, not even with the help from the other students and staff. Nothing seemed to work; Kitty's soft rocking motions never helped, Jubilee's attempts at lullabies only caused more screams, Beast's attempts to let her rest on his chest while he worked only ended with him loosing handfuls of blue hairs, and even Jean and Scott's attempts ended just like Logan's and Ororo's.

"I'M _NOT **YELLING**_ ," Logan screams back just as loud as Rogue's own cries, finally at his breaking point after a week of not sleeping.

" . . . " 

" . . . "

Silence.

Oh god, beautiful silence.

Both of the grown mutants stop their arguing and stare at each other, both of them holding their breaths in anticipation. There's a moment when Logan half expects more screams and tears from the child, however the room - and more importantly, the tiny baby in Ororo's arms - blissfully stays silent. " _Finally_ ," Ororo mummers as she looks down at the baby, who is now staring over at Logan while making small hiccuping sounds.

"God 'Ro, I'm really sorry for this," Logan's voice is quiet as he sighs, moving over to her to wrap his arms around her waist and rest his head on her shoulder. Ororo just relaxes against him, snuggling into his warmth as she cuddle the baby to her chest. "God 'Ro, I'm so sorry about all of the yelling. I'm just really tired and I don't think we can keep this up," He explains quietly to her, keeping his voice low so that the toddler - who is still watching him very carefully - doesn't start screaming at him. Being mindful of the baby still in her arms, Ororo turns in his grasp so that she can face him and rest her head on his shoulder.

"I know that Logan, I know," She wearily looks up at him with a tired and pained smile, trying not to cry tears of frustration. "We can't do this anymore," Her voice shakes a little as she speaks and Logan nods, leaning over and kissing her forehead comfortingly. Ororo's gaze turns away from his his face and moves to stare down at the tiny human resting between the two of them. Logan doesn't even entertain the thought of breaking this peaceful moment, instead just following her gaze and running a gentle hand through her silver locks.  
In this brief moment, as Logan holds the love of his life and the child he's come to care for as family in his arms, he feels as if the world is just a little more peaceful right now.

And in this brief moment, Ororo also feels something herself; well rather, it's something she doesn't _feel_.

The little one in their grasp is still, she's actually much too still for a baby who's supposed to be awake.

Gingerly she pulls away from her boyfriend and peers down at the pale child, letting out a grateful breath when she sees closed emerald eyes. "Oh thank the goddess, Rogue's actually asleep now," She says it quietly under her breath before walking over to the crib in the corner of the room, gently setting the precious bundle in her arms down in it. Both Logan and Ororo wait with baited breath for the screams to restart, however Rogue never once stirs as the older mutant pulls a small blanket over her.

"I didn't think it was possible for her to look so peaceful," He whispers in Ororo's ear as he soundlessly moves next to the silver haired woman, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him. "the loud little banshee." His muttering doesn't go unnoticed by the silver haired woman, who just chuckles and quietly nods in agreement with him. Twisting herself away from the older mutant, she yawns tiredly and turns to face him again.

"I think the little one would give even the great Banshee a run for his money," She jokes with him, making him laugh at her and chuckle quietly. With a quick chaste kiss, Ororo moves away from Logan and makes her way to the Queen bed. Slipping her snot and tear stained nightshirt off, she pulls the bed sheets down and beckon Logan join her in bed. The Canadian stealthily makes his way over their bed, slipping in the bed next to her and pulling the covers up and around the two of them. There's a brief moment of silence between the two of them as Logan snuggles up to her before Ororo quietly mummers, "Goodnight, love." Logan mumbles the sentiment back to her, taking in a deep breath of her scent - the smell of rainy days and fresh nature - before drifting off to sleep.

In the corner of the bedroom, the small brunette baby with two white streaks in her slept on peacefully.

 

= 72 Hours Earlier =

 

The world around them is dangerous and because of this, the X-Men have already have plans for many different and unusual situations. Together the X-Men have made plans - hundreds upon hundreds of plans - for every and any situation they could ever encounter or imagine; both of the confrontational kind and of the non-violent kind.  
The Medical Bay is always stocked to the brim with all types of medical supplies and equipment in preparation for any type of emergency; they have plans and supplies for sprains, breaks, poisonings, pregnancies, and even surgeries of all sorts. Jean and Hank are both able to perform most minor surgeries - both on the battlefield and off of it - and when they couldn't do it, then there's always a doctor or surgeon on call that could it. And if whatever was ailing them wasn't a physical injury, then Professor Charles has already devised a plan for it. The telepathic mutant has already worked with every student on their power levels and control and what to do if one of them - even one of the X-Men - ever lost control of powers. Not only are the mutant bases covered religiously, the normal private school bases are also covered every single month via assembly by Scott and Ororo; everything from people with guns breaking in the mansion to a small and simple kitchen fire.

These plans - these extremely detailed plans - are what keep everyone safe and alive, they are what keep things running smoothly and safely. These plans make every student feel safe, they make the teachers feel secure; these plans make every mutant in the school feel as if the world isn't actually actively trying to kill them. However, despite the all the plans they've made, none of their plans have every covered what to do when your teammate was turned - by magic powers, by mutation, by technology, by what ever the hell this was - into a baby.  
And the especially didn't cover how to take care of said baby teammate.

Or how to make her stop crying!

"Aw c'mon, Rogue!" Bobby whines pitifully over his, very young and adorable, teammate's tearful cries. She sniffles sadly as he awkwardly holds the tiny child against his chest, not completely sure how to hold her without dropping her or damaging her. He doesn't know much about child care, especially not the care of such a young child; all he knows is that he needs to keep the baby's head up and supported and that dropping her on her head is a big no-no.  
Something he's done must be right though since - Bobby notices with a thankful sigh - she's finally stopped crying and flailing in his grasp. Instead she's now contently playing with the his uniform's zipper, tugging on the silver metal and yanking it from side to side. Occasionally she'll start giggling at the small metallic object, releasing it from her grip and slapping his leather suit with a big smile. As she giggles and sometimes chews on his suit, Bobby can't help but think about how this adorable mistake had happened.

It's technically - no not technically, it truly is - his fault that Rogue had been kidnapped by a military splinter call, that she had been experimented on, and then turned into a baby; everything that had happened to Rogue up until this point is all on his hands. They had been at one of the Military splinter cell bases, a base used to store produce and store their anti-mutant weapons, and the X-Men had split up into much smaller groups to avoid drawing too much attention.

Cyclops had paired them all of into groups of two; the optic mutant had paired himself with Storm, Wolverine with Shadowcat, Colossus with Dr. Grey, Jubilee with Beast, which left him with Rogue.

 _And maybe that's where everything went wrong_ , Bobby thinks angrily to himself, silently wishing that Cyclops had paired him with anyone else on the team. Everything that had happened to her could've been avoided if she had been paired with someone better than him; maybe if she had paired with someone more observant than himself then she wouldn't have been taken by those anti-mutant bastards. _But she hadn't been paired with someone else, she had been paired with stupid reckless me,_ He bitterly thinks to himself, glaring down at the metal autopsy where he had found the baby Rogue.

"God Rogue, you're so small," The baby in his arms doesn't even stir when he says her name, just continuing to chew on his leather suit. As he looks down at her, he silent admits to himself that he's kind of impressed by the science put into this project. They had managed to turn a healthy seventeen year old woman into a young - and hopefully healthy - toddler. It's actually an impressive feat, especially if done by scientific means and to magical means, however he'd take those thoughts to his grave. 

_Logan might kill me if he ever finds out that I thought the science is impressive,_ Bobby thinks with a fearful shiver, _Actually Logan might just kill me anyway_. Logan's temper had only increased after Rogue's disappearance and with each passing day, Bobby began to fear more and more for his life. Even with Rogue currently wrapped up in his arms, he's still sure that the older man will murder him the next chance he gets. "Seriously, he's got some issues," Bobby mummers, pulling his thoughts away from Logan's murderous tendencies when it came to Rogue and her emotional and physical health. The little baby in his arms looks up at him and babbles noises and Bobby takes it as an agreement with his assessment on Logan. "See, I'm glad someone agrees with - "

 _"This is Cyclops checking in, has anyone found Rogue, yet?"_ Bobby still as his fearless leader's voice rings over the communication system, effectively reminding him that he's currently on a mission. He lets out a sigh and gently adjusts Rogue in his grip before laying her back down on the examination table, making sure to set her down the blankets as carefully as he possibly could. Unfortunately she protests loudly and begins crying softly, flailing her tiny arms around in an attempt to get him to pick her back up.

"I am way too young for this," Bobby mummers down at her, however he only receives more tears and soft wails as a response back. He tries to calm her down with random cooing noises as he reaches up to his ear and switches the com-unit's speech button to the on position. _"This is Iceman checking in, I've found the Rogue."_ He answers distractedly as he moves his hand down to the small baby, hoping that his hand would be enough of a distraction for the little girl. Thankfully she begins to quiet down and play with his leather clad fingers, occasionally pulling them over to her mouth to chew on them and drool happily on them. _"But we have a slight problem, Cyclops, she's going to need,"_ He pauses and frowns down at her, uncertain of what she actually needs right now and what she would actually need in the foreseeable future.  
Well she needed a doctor, he knows that much for certain.

And also maybe a diaper change too, _Yuck_. Bobby scrunches up his nose as he looks down at the baby's diaper, wondering if the smell in the room was coming from her. _"Spit it out Icicle,"_ Logan snaps at him over the com-unit and Bobby grimaces at the other mutant's angry tone, great Logan's still pissed at him for Rogue's capture.

 _"Maybe we should all meet up, it'll be easier to explain,"_ Bobby finally speaks up, moving his fingers away from his teammate's slobbery hands and wiping off the excess drool off on one of the blankets resting on the metal table. The little girl lets out a distressed - or maybe it's angry - noise, trying to reach her hands out to grab at him. _"Iceman, out."_ He reaches up and shuts the com-unit's microphone off before carefully picking up the baby girl and holds her awkwardly against his chest. She another miserable noise in his arms and Bobby groans before softly bouncing her on his hip to try and calm her down. "How am I going to explain this to the others, Rogue?" He asks her and her only response is to reach up and grab at his lower lip, tugging it down towards herself before pushing it up and over his upper lip. "Fanks," His sarcastic and dry reply is muffled by her hands tugging around his lower lip, "so 'ery hel'ful." He pulls his face away from her reaching hands, finally freeing his lip from her tiny yet strong grasp.

 _" . . . Right."_ Scott says and Bobby can hear the confusion and worry that echos in his normal firm voice. _"X-Men, back to the jet,"_ Everyone gives a quiet affirmative through their comms, their voices quiet and just as worried as Scott's own. Bobby doesn't bother to turn back on his comm and reassure them that everything is fine, instead just doing a brief search around the room to look for anything important and relevant to the baby in his arms. On the desk in the back left corner of the room, the ice mutant finds a thick file labeled _Mutant #642_ and a bunch of papers with chemical formulas and scientific nonsense.

Deciding not to dwell on things he couldn't understand, Bobby begins his brisk walk back to the jet with Rogue tucked away in one arm and the files held tightly in his other hand. She makes a slightly annoyed noise when he shifts her in his arms, though she quickly settles down when she realizes that she can reach his uniform's zipper. "Babies are easily amused by the weirdest things," He mummers to no one in particular and picks up his pace, careful not to jolt the little girl in his arms too much.

He's thankful that he's not the first one to reach the X-Jet, thankful that four of the others are there waiting for him too; Scott, Kitty, Hank, and Jubilee are all stand around the jet, Kitty and Jubilee are talking softly with each other while Scott and Hank keep a silent and vigilant watch for any approaching danger. He picks up his pace when he sees them, his feet stamping hard against the ground and Rogue - probably startled by the sudden burst of speed - lets out a surprised gurgling noise and glances up at him with wide emerald eyes. "At least you didn't start crying," He softly says to her and, now only a few feet away from his friends, he slows down his pace and gently bounces her to calm her down.

He doesn't even get the chance to call for Hank as Jubilee, who's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open, immediately draws everyone's attention to him. Her voice, which is way too loud since they are currently are still on a mission, clearly shouts, "Bobby stole someone's baby!" Rogue, with her tiny fist now stuffed in her mouth, makes a muffled noise around the fist and turns away from him to find the source of the noise. Bobby watches, with a disgusted look, as she rips the fist away from her mouth and makes grabby hands at the others, slinging her spit around.

By now everyone's eyes are as wide as Jubilee's own and Bobby wonders if they all knew exactly who he had in his arms. If they don't know who it is now, then he's sure they'll know soon enough; after all, the two white streaks in her brunette hair is a rather distinctive feature. Bobby doesn't leave them much time to process anything else about the situation, instead running over to the furry doctor and holding out Rogue for the older man to take. Hank gently takes the baby from Bobby's grip, carefully holding her in one large paw and looking at the mutli-colored hair with astonished eyes. "My word, is this really . . . " The blue mutant's voice trails off and he slowly reaches up, gently brushing one of the white streaks away from the little girl's face.

Hank doesn't bother waiting for a response from Bobby, instead ignoring everyone else and beginning his own brief examination of the child. The older man slowly and meticulously looks over Rogue; checking over her limbs, her head, and her stomach for any signs of damage or breaks. Next he raises a finger in front of the little girl's face and slowly begins waving it passed her eyes, watching her emerald eyes closely as her eyes follow his fingers and her hands reach out to grab at it. She manages to latch onto the blue finger, yanking on it and trying to bring it to her face - and more likely to her mouth. He chuckles wholeheartedly and carefully pulls his finger out of her grip, shifting the baby in his arms so that she was more secure in his arms. She immediately tries to grab onto the fur on his face, however Hank - one step ahead of her quick hands - easily dodges her hands and gently reprimands her. "Cyclops," Hank draws their stunned leader's attention with his quiet voice, bouncing Rogue once on his hip and making her giggle cheerfully. "I'm going to take her inside and do a more through check-up as well as see if we have a blanket to wrap her in." The furry doctor doesn't bother waiting for a reply back, instead just making his way up the X-Jet's ramp while cooing at the little girl in his arms.

Bobby just silently watches their doctor leave with Rogue, laughing to himself at the startled looks on his teammates's faces. Finally, maybe a minute or so after Hank left, Jubilee abruptly whirls around and stares him with a disbelieving look. "Are you tell me that that was really Rogue? Like our Rogue, ya know the untouchable southern mutant with a sassy and sometimes sarcastic attitude?" She looks between the X-Jet and him, her words filled with doubt and a slight bit of horror, and nearly runs after Hank and Rogue. "Like, _seriously_?" She asks again before he could even confirm or deny their suspicions and Bobby gives her an un-amused stare, trying to convey his annoyance at her interruption. Bobby tries to answer again, however Scott holds up and hand and stops him and shoos Jubilee and Kitty off to the jet's ramp.

"Inside you two, we'll discuss this when the others get here," Scott says and the two girls reluctantly run off, quickly whispering to themselves about something Bobby can't clearly hear. "Now before the others actually get back, I want to be sure about what I'm about to tell them so I've got to ask; do you have any proof beyond her unique hair coloring that that was Rogue you brought back?" Bobby stiffly nods and hands off the files he collected earlier from the makeshift office, letting the silence wash over himself and his leader. Scott takes the files hesitantly, almost as if he's afraid of what's inside them, and slowly begins skimming over the contents inside. With each page he turns and looks over, his eyebrows raise a little higher and Bobby swears he hears his teacher mummer something under his breath; something that sounds vaguely like "I miss the days when a history test was my biggest problem,". After another relatively short few minutes, Scott waves Bobby onto the jet and wordlessly orders him to take his seat before he disappears to the back part of the plan where Hank and Rogue most likely are.

"Oh god, she's so adorable!" Kitty practically shrieks once Scott disappears behind the X-Jet's sliding doors and Bobby relaxes back into his seat, deciding to keep quiet and just listen to their chatter about their tiniest new addition to the jet. The two continue to gush about Rogue and how cuddly she looks, the two occasionally squealing when they imagine the dresses and clothes they plan to put her in. When the conversation turns into a friendly argument about what clothes they'll put her in - bright pink party dresses versus golden sundresses -, Bobby closes his eyes and start to tune them out. He isn't sure how long it take for the others to arrive, however the remaining three X-Men soon boarded.

Jean, the only one of them without a code-name much Bobby's confusion, is the first one to arrive on board, carrying something bundled up in her arms. _Oh god, please tell me that's not another baby,_ Bobby thinks, a little horrified at the prospect of another on board. Thankfully, when Bobby takes a closer at the bundle in her arm, he notices that it's actually Rogue's personal affects in her arms; it's Rogue's X-Men suit thrown over her arm, her com-unit clasped in Jean's hand, and her boots and gloves dangling from her other hand. The redhead looks worriedly around the jet's cabin, her bright green eyes looking terrified when she scans over the three of them. 

"Where's Rogue," Bobby doesn't say anything and Kitty and Jubilee both turn away, neither of them quite sure what to say about her current condition. ". . . is she . . . ?" Immediately the three of them begin loudly throwing assurances her way, promising her that Rogue is most definitely alive and that she doesn't need Jean's medical help at the moment. Jean doesn't look completely reassured by their words, however - once they promise that Scott and Hank are with Rogue - the redhead nods and settles down somewhat. Before she can move to sit down in her seat, the X-Jet's hatch opens again and both Logan and Ororo slowly walk in with a deadly expression on their faces.

"Where's Summers," Logan's gruff voice snaps at them, his body tense and his hand clenched tightly into fists. "Or better yet, where the hell is Rogue?" The Jet's back room door slides open and Scott slowly steps out, a frown set on his face and his hands closed into a tight fist.

"She's alive and with Hank right now," Scott answers in a tense voice, gesturing for the two of them - as well as Jean - to take their seats. "and no one is going to see until we have a quick discussion on what's happened." He tells them, the tone of his voice leaving no room for argument or discussion. Logan opens his mouth, probably to argue with Scott or possibly to tell him to shove it, however Ororo stops him with a gently touch of her hand. Finally, after a showdown of tense looks, Logan nods with a huff and moves to sit down in one of the seats, Ororo pressing her lips together in a thin line and sitting beside him. "I guess we should start with what took you two so long," Scott starts as he moves to the front of the jet, looking between Logan and Ororo curiously. "did you run into trouble?"

"Nothing like that," The weather which answers, her voice steady yet her eyes burning with fear and anger. "We actually found a room, it was probably where they," Her voice dies off and she bites her lip, looking away from the others as she does. Scott doesn't need to prompt her to continue speaking as, after a few moments of silence, she begins speaking again. "it was probably where they experiment on her." She explains in a soft voice and Bobby flinches, listening as Kitty and Jubilee both gasp and let out a sad cry. "The room had medical equipment set up in it; some normal things like a heartbeat monitor and a medical bed, but there was also surgeon's tools and also a chamber that they probably stored her in." No one says anything as she speaks and, after a quick around at his teammates, Bobby realizes that everyone is feeling just as a guilty as he is. "But, and this is what took so long," Bobby turns away from the crying Kitty and Jubilee, shifting in his seat so that he can better see Ororo. "there was a medical waster container that drew Logan's attention. He went through it and everything in there, the surgical gloves, the lab coats, what was probably her hospital gown, all of was cover in blood."

"Do you think - " Scott doesn't get to finish his sentence as Logan abruptly cut him off, his voice void of every emotion except anger.

"It was definitely Rogue's blood on everything," He confirms with a low angry growl, his rough voice low with anger and sorrow. Bobby watches as Logan flexes his leather clad hands angrily, staring down at them like they had been the ones to commit the horrible crimes against Rogue. "And with how much of it was in there and on everything, we both thought that - " Logan abruptly stops speaking, obviously unable to actually say the words. Ororo makes a distressed noise in the back of her throat, though she somehow manages to keep composed despite it all.

" - Rogue had been killed." Scott's tense voice finishes the sentence knowingly and Logan and Ororo nodded, both of them looking disturbed by the thought. Scott, in an act of kindness that he doesn't normally show towards the feral mutant, lays a reassuring hand on Logan's shoulder and gives him a kind look. "She's still alive Logan," _Yea, but she's not really Rogue anymore,_ Bobby thinks to himself, briefly turning his gaze towards the back room where the young Rogue currently is. "and Hank says that she's physically fine."

"Then where is she?" Logan demands as he takes in a deep breath, his nose twitch and he - probably - tries to sort through all of the scents around him. "And why isn't she out here if she's alright?"

"She's with Hank right now," Scott answers in a clipped tone, his own gaze turning towards the backroom before turning to look at him. The two of them catch each other's eyes, or well Bobby catch his glasses, before Bobby breaks the eye contact guiltily and looks away from the others. "And since there's no easy way to say this," Scott pauses and presses his lips into a thin line, trying to think of the right way to word the news about Rogue. "I'm going to blunt with the three of you." He says and his eyes rake over the three of them, each of them looking nervous and disturbed. "Rogue's been turned into a child, well I guess more specifically, Rogue's been turned into a toddler." There's a long pause that settles over the three of them, Ororo and Logan looking confused and Jean looking absolutely disturbed and incredulous.

"Excuse me? She's been _what_?" Jean speaks up skeptically, looking at her fiance as if he - and the others on board - had gone crazy. At this point in time, Bobby's almost sure that he and others have actually gone insane. Instead of voicing his thought about their sanity though, Bobby just keeps silent and watches as Scott sighs at his fiance and just shrugs. After a stare down between the two of them, Scott finally - and pointedly - looks over at him. Oh god, he wants me to talk, Bobby thinks with a sigh before beginning to speak up, everyone's eyes and concentration on him.

"I was searching the west wing of the building, like Scott told me to do," Bobby explains as everyone starts to buckle into their seats, obviously getting ready for the take off. The only exception to this is, very obviously, Scott and Ororo who will be flying them back to the mansion. "when I came across to this one room, Doctor Wesson's office er lab?" Bobby shakes his head, trying not to focus too much on the weird room. "I guess it was his lab, or maybe he turned his office turned into some sort of lab, when I heard weird noises come from inside of it. I broke down the door - you know, thinking it would be Rogue - but it instead of seeing her, I saw this weird set up. There were this makeshift baby crib on this lab table and there was this baby just laying in it, just laying there crying and waving her arms around. I didn't realize it was Rogue until I picked her up and got a close up of her hair or I guess more specifically, the bright shocks of white in her hair."

Bobby doesn't bother mentioning the files to them, figuring that Hank will bring it up to Jean when they arrive at the mansion. "Thank Bobby," Scott says with another unhappy frown, obviously not happy with the lack of information provided by him. "Jean go tell Hank to strap himself and Rogue in then get yourself strapped in too." He tells her as the door to the cockpit slides open, allowing Ororo to step in around him. "Take off will be in five minutes, make sure to be strapped in and settled by then." Before he disappears into the cockpit with Ororo, he leaves them with the part words, "Hopefully this is all temporary and we'll have Rogue back by breakfast tomorrow." He turns away from them and is about to leave when Logan manages to speak up before the sliding doors close behind Scott.

"If we're not lucky?" Logan asks him and everyone else also turns to stare at Scott's back, looking at their leader as if he holds all the answers they need.

Scott doesn't bother turning around, instead speaking loudly enough so that everyone could clearly hear him. "If we're not lucky?" He repeats the question, his hand placed on the sliding door to keep it from closing on him. "Then we'll have to make a more long term plan for Rogue," He explains and disappears into the cockpit, leaving Bobby alone with his fearful thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a week since Rogue's rescue and Hank thinks he has found a solution to their baby Rogue problem.

**_Time:_** 9:30 AM   
_**General Location:**_ Westchester, New York   
**_Exact Location:_** Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters   
-

Hank slowly makes his way upstairs to the kitchen for breakfast, his mind completely focused on the work he left behind in his office down in the infirmary. Even though he's currently walking around and should be focused on his surroundings, his mind is solely focused on the four files he's currently carrying around in his arms. " . . . but this doesn't . . . " Hank mumbles to himself, reading over one of the files in his hands and then switching to one of the other files to try and work out the answer. Much to his displeasure though, none of the files in his hands have any useful information about Rogue's condition or how to reverse it.

 _At least_ , Hank thinks to himself as slight headache starting to form, _these files will help us with raising Rogue._ The four files will be invaluable to raising her; The two files Bobby collected from the facility are all detailed studies about Rogue's current health as an infant while the files from the school are all about Rogue's allergies, her family history, and everything they know about her mutation. At least with all this knowledge, they'll be able to raise Rogue as well and as safely as possible. "Not that I, or any of the others, really want to raise Rogue," Hank absentmindedly mutters to himself, unknowingly drawing attention to himself.

And while this situation is horrible and he feels like he's invading Rogue's privacy, these files have certainly been enlightening. He knows so many new things about her now; all of her discovered allergies, her birth name and date, as well some very interesting and - very worrying - things about her biological family. Her allergies to hay and shellfish explain her strange behaviors, why she ran from the hay ride last Halloween and why she goes out to a bar or restaurant whenever seafood is made. Her real name is apparently Anna-Marie - _Which is such a pretty name_ , he muses to himself - and her birthday is the 17th of April. On the maternal side of her family, there's a history of heart failure, while the paternal side doesn't seem to have any chronic medical issues.

However the most interesting thing in her files, well really it's the most terrifying thing, is the mysteries surrounding Rogue's mother and her disappearance. There isn't much in the police report in the files, which - Hank notes with a suspicious frown - had been filed by young girl's school and not by her father nor the commune. All that's in the reports is some generic information about the nature hippie commune, the commune's residents, and some suspicion's about Rogue's father being the culprit in her disappearance. However the CPS paperwork accompanying the police report is what caught his attention; they had moved Rogue into her Aunt Carrie's custody and, while in her custody, there had been a disturbing amount of Child Services visited by social workers.

Teachers calling in signs of possible physical abuse - mysterious bruises wrapped around her wrists and upper arms, flinching when a teacher or adult scolds her, and a worryingly quiet demeanor. However none of the agents of the CPS had ever found any definitive proof of abuse and Marie had never admitted to the abuse, just stating that her aunt was kind of strict sometimes. Hanks snarls angry under his breath, scaring some of the children he's currently passing in the lower halls.

"Careful Hank, if you keep that up then you might just give Logan a run for his title of scariest teacher," Ororo jokes from behind him, startling Hank badly enough that he jumps and releases the files in hands. Papers go flying around the small hallway, scattered all around and making Hank groan at the thought of picking them all up and resorting them. Suddenly Hank hears giggling and clapping from behind him and when he turns around, he notices that Rogue is perched on Ororo's hip and drooling on the white haired woman's shirt. "Oh Goddess, Hank!" She says with a guilty look as she begins laughing. "I didn't mean to scare you," She apologizes to him and Hank swears that she looks much more amused than apologetic.

"It's not your fault, Ororo," He assures her with a kind smile, kneeling down on the ground to collect the papers that have scattered everywhere. "in all honesty, I was lost in my own thoughts instead of paying attention to the things happening around me," The other mutant explains, his understand smile turning into a look of embarrassment. His hands carefully scoop up the loose papers, mindful not to bend nor crumple them, and he tosses them into random folders. He doesn't bother trying to sort through them all right now, silently thinking that it will be much more practical and easier to sort through them when he's back in his office.

"Please let me help you with that," She responds and immediately kneels down, not even bothering to wait for a response from him. Hank tries to tell her that he's fine, however she quickly silents his protests with a look and begins to pick up the papers on the ground with him. "Really Hank, just accept the help and stop trying to - " She abruptly stops talking and, before Hank can turn to check on her, suddenly starts scolding the child in her arms; telling her things like _"Rogue, I need you to stay still,"_ and _"I will put you down if you don't stop it,"_.

"Ororo really, please leave this all to me," He tries to reason with her again, giving her a stern and worried look as he glances as the wiggling girl in her arms. "you have your hands full with Ro - Anna," He stumbles over his words, making a quick decision to start calling Rogue by her actually name and not her code name. Apparently it's a smart decision as the tiny toddler abruptly twists in Ororo's grip and begins to loudly babble in his directions, throwing her arms out towards him and failing them around.

"Anna?" Ororo questions him, turning away from him to briefly gaze down at Rogue before turning her confused stare towards him. Before he can explain himself and the name, Rogue's cheerful babbling voice is now directed at Ororo.

"Yes, it seems our dear Rogue's real name is actually Anna - Marie," Hank informs her with a grin, laughing loudly when Rogue's babbles turn into loud protests of nonsensical noises; obviously she doesn't appreciate being called by her full name. After a brief pause of silence, Rogue begins making more angry noises that sound vaguely like _"no"_ and _"Maah"_. He isn't sure what _Maah_ means, however he knows very well what no means. "Oh I'm sorry, dear Anna, do you not like being called Anna - Marie?" He asks her rhetorically, chuckling some more when she makes some more angry babbling noises at him.

"It seems not," Ororo says with an amused smile, running her skinny fingers through Rogue's brown and white hair to calm her down. After a few more times, the angry babble calms down to random words and noises that no one can really understand.

"Well then, little child," Hank starts, drawing the little girl's attention to him, "what do you want to be called?" He asks despite knowing that she can't really answer him, at least not in a way that he - nor the others - could ever understand. He stands up, finally having collected all the papers on the ground, and offers one of his hands to Ororo to help her up. The white haired woman accepts the hand and pulls herself and Rogue up, the little girl making happy noises and waving her hands. She makes more pleased noises and occasionally smacks Ororo's arms and shoulders with her failing hands.

"Oh?" The weather witch asks with an amused smile and an amused laugh, "Is that so, little one?" She continues to speak to the small child in her arms, who of course makes more happy babbling noises as a response. The two of them keep going back and forth for a few moments, Ororo speaking to Rogue as if she could actually understand and Rogue replying back in loud happy babbles. Eventually the toddler's happy babbles turn into loud pleased screeches, causing Hank to jump and almost drop the papers on the ground again. "Careful Hank," Ororo advises with a chuckle and Hank laughs loudly, drawing Rogue's attention to him and making her impatiently fail her arms towards her.

Both adults laugh at the young girl and Ororo quickly passes the little girl over to her old friend, making sure that Rogue's constant wiggling doesn't end with her falling to the ground. Hank carefully receives the child from Ororo, setting her on his hip and occasionally bouncing her. "Well then Rogue, what name would you like to go by?" His voice is curious as he and Ororo start making their way towards the kitchen. "Rogue, hmm? Or maybe Anna? Or perhaps you'd like to be called Marie?" She starts loudly gurgling again, screaming the words _"Maah"_ over and over again and slapping his arms. "Maah? Maah - rie?" He ponders to her and, before he could let the name fully leave his mouth, she starts cheerfully screeching and smacking her hands together in a clapping motion.

"I believe we have our answer," She says with a light and soft laugh, pushing open the kitchen's door and holding it up for Hank. He gives her a grateful nod and wordlessly agrees with her earlier statement, handing out quiet hellos and good morning to the other staff members and students who are eating breakfast and chatting among each other. Most of them give back quiet and tired hellos to the two teachers, though a few of them only wave at them before resting their heads back down on the table.

"Morning Miss Munroe," She greets cheerfully, much more awake than most of the other students in the kitchen. "Doctor McCoy," She waves the spoon in her hand at them, sending little blobs of milk flying and splattering them against the island's counter. The moment she spots the little girl in Hank's arms, she sticks her tongue out and makes a few silly face at the young girl. Rogue laughs loudly and begins to make grabby hands at Jubilee, pouting when Hank places her down in her highchair instead of handing her off.

"Actually Jubilee," Hank starts off, drawing Jubilee's attention to him as he begins to buckle the hyper child into her highchair. Loudly, and without any warning, she begins to make displeased babbles, occasionally slamming her hands down on the white plastic tray. "we've recently learned that she likes to go by Marie." He informs his student, ruffling the brunette's hair so that she would calm down and stop slamming her hands down. "Isn't that right, Marie?" He questions her, though this time he only receives more babbling protests about being strapped into her highchair. "Yes, yes," He says with a small chuckle as he pulls up one of the island's chairs and moves it in front of Rogue's highchair. "I know you don't like your highchair, but I'm not going to let you out until you've eaten your breakfast." He tells her sternly and waggles a finger in front of her face, though he makes sure to still smile happily at her.

"Bah, bah, _bahha!_ " She protests loudly once again, the angry babble and smacking the highchair's try continuing until Ororo passes him a plate of banana slices, a sippy cup filled with whole milk, and a small bowl of applesauce.

"Thank you, Ororo," Hank says as he places everything down on her highchair's tray and hands the toddler the plastic spork. "Now are you going to feed yourself this time or do you need help again?" He asks her curiously and Rogue slams her plastic spork down into the applesauce, sending little splatters of the food onto both of their faces. Before Hank can scold her or help her with her food, the little brunette raises the spork to her mouth and thankfully eats it - unlike last night when she threw everything around, Hank internally flinches when he thinks back to the mess from last night's disaster of a dinner.

Jubilee snorts from her spot at the island and grins at him, quickly finishing off the last of her cereal. "Honestly Doc, you never learn!" She jokes with him, tossing her plastic bowl and metal spoon into the sink before making her way over to him and Rogue. "She might eat her food, or at least attempt to eat, but I promise ya' more of it's going to end up on you than in her. Ain't that right, kiddo?" She asks the young child rhetorically, taking the plastic spoon from her grip and gently dipping it into the applesauce. "Now open up!" She says as she makes a loud airplane noise, flying the colorful spoon around in the air before letting Rogue take the bite.

Hank - assured that Jubilee has Marie's breakfast taken care off - makes his way over to the coffee machine to grab a cup of steaming hot coffee. After securing his cup of coffee and a plate of breakfast - an apple from the fruit bowl and a piece of toast from the plate beside the toaster -, he quickly makes his way over to the staff table where the other teachers are waiting for him. Facing him are Jean and Scott while Logan - and now Ororo - are sitting across from the two with their backs turned towards him.

"Morning, Hank," Jean greets him with a warm smile before she takes a long sip from the glass of orange juice sitting in front of her. Hank smiles back at her and gives her a short nod, setting his food at the seat next to Ororo. Jean goes back the stack of papers, tests from her science class probably, that's sitting beside her own plate of food.

"Jean, good morning to you," Hank says when he sits down, then turning to look at her fiance. "And good morning to you too, Scott." He greets with another pleasant smile before taking a large bite of his toast, eating most of the buttery toast in that single bite. Scott who's engrossed with the newspaper in his hands, just gives him a grunt in response and continues to focus on one of the articles. Before Hank can attempt to engage Ororo in another conversation, his attention is pulled to the picture and headline on the front page of Scott's newspaper.

**_A New Addition to the Stark - Banner family?_ **

And right under the headline, _is that Bruce Banner?_ , Hank silently wonders with wide eyes. "Scott," Older man speaks up quickly, drawing everyone at the staff table's attention, "may I see the first page of the paper?" He asks him, holding out his large hand for the requested page. Scott, still engrossed in his article following the Anti - Mutant protester named Graydon Creed, nods absentmindedly and pulls the top page away from the rest of his paper, handing the page off. After a quiet thank you and another kind smile, Hank quickly grabs the front page and turns it into his hands so that he can read the tagline underneath the bold title.

_In most recent news, Doctor Bruce Banner was spotted have a cup of coffee with a Social Services Worker; does this mean we'll be seeing a new edition to the Stark - Banner household?_

"Hmm, a new edition?" Hank hums thoughtfully, skimming through the article underneath the tagline at a quick pace. Most of the article was about the journalist's personal views on Bruce - and his husband's, _I didn't realize he had gotten married,_ \- ability to raise a child in a safe environment. Hank gives no care to the journalist's personal opinion on topic, instead thinking about the fact that his old friend was looking into the possibility of adopting a child. _I wonder how serious Bruce and his husband are about adopting,_ he thinks before turning to look towards the messy baby still sitting in her highchair. However his biggest concern isn't about them being willing to adopt Rogue, but instead about them being will to adopt a would be mutant. "It won't hurt to ask," He mummers to himself as he stand up, not realizing that he's drawn Jean's and Ororo attention. Sending a quick and distracted goodbye to his fellow teachers and his young students, he quickly gives Rogue's a hair ruffle and makes his way out of the kitchen.

"Don't worry, Doc, I'll watch Ro - uh, Marie today!" _"Maah, Maahh!"_

Hank doesn't pay attention, after all he has to make a call to make.


End file.
